A Second Chance, Daddy
by Cho Koume
Summary: Since traveling with his daughter and the rest of the Sanzo Ikkou, Hakkai has become sad for not being able to raise her as his own, like a normal father. Now Gyukumen Koushu has an evil plot! Or is it? Will Hakkai get his chance, after all?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Hiiii again, people! Just wanted to let you all know that I do not own Saiyuki in any way…. And it makes me very sad. ;;

A Second Chance, Daddy!

"Ha ha ha!"

"Throw it here, daddy!"

"Alright!"

Playing catch…

It was on a bright day, and the ball was shiny and red. Hakkai was wearing one of his nice dress shirts and light brown slacks. His glasses reflected the light from the warm summer sun as he passed the red ball to a small girl, dressed in a long blue shirt and poofy dark blue pants. She passed it right back, with strength not quite normal for a child so young, but she was Hakkai's baby, after all- tainted with the blood of 1000 demons, and part demon, herself. But still, the both of them were so happy…

"Here it comes, Koume! Catch!"

Hakkai rose the ball and let it fly. Making no sound whatsoever, it bounced on the dirt path and rolled… but it stopped just short of its target. Looking up from the ball, Hakkai found that Koume, his daughter, the little girl he always dreamed about was gone… replaced by the only Koume he had known- the young adult version. It was like a wonderful dream, and just as suddenly as one, it was gone, replaced by reality. This Koume merely tilted her head and looked down at the ball by her feet, and Hakkai almost felt like crying.

"Koume…. Please… wont you play with me, baby?"

--

Hakkai was suddenly ripped from his thoughts when someone bumped into him. Startled, he turned, ready to attack, but seeing the robes and shining blonde hair made him stop. It was only Sanzo. If he had come so close, it was probably to request protection against enemy attacks as he replaced his bullets, and it was protection that Hakkai was happy to supply.

"Spacing out in the middle of a fight is how you get dead, you know. Do you WANT to die?"

"Ah… no? Forgive me, I've been… distracted."

"Yeah, what else is new? You've been 'distracted' for a few days now. Will you just get over it, already?"

Sanzo finishes loading his gun and shoots some demons who wander into his line of sight, but he can't handle them all on his own. Hakkai groans and gathers his chi, blasting through a few more just ahead of him.

"Believe me, I'm trying…"

Hakkai starts thinking about Koume again, and searches the quickly-damaged area for her. After a moment he spots her, quite a ways away, fighting alongside Goku and Gojyo. She sure was able to hold her own in a fight, not wasting energy by running so much and jumping around unnecessarily, and using her size and agility to make up for her lesser strength. Although, compared to Goku, they all had a long way to go. What cut into the brunette, however, was the thought that she didn't need him. Not at all like a child…

Due to the combined efforts, the battle was soon over. However, the enemy had been getting smarter, and some of the demon's weapons were tipped with poison, and Goku was unfortunate enough to get cut with one of them. Luckily for him, though, Koume was there! She knelt by the demon and lengthened one of her own cuts, pouring a small amount of her blood into the wound. No one knew exactly why or how, but Koume's blood acted as a vaccine, destroying the effect of demonic poison. Of anyone, only Kougaiji, the one who ended up raising her, knew, but it sure came in useful, nonetheless.

Once he was treated, Goku was still a bit dizzy, but Gojyo was there to help him back into the jeep, and once again, the group was on their way West, leaving behind one heck of a mess. Ever single one of those demons had been slain without mercy, and fear was quickly spreading throughout the remaining ranks. That fear soon also made it all the way back to Hotou castle.

Gyukumen Koushu watched the battle play out and was absolutely enraged by its outcome. She grit her teeth and lifted the wine glass in her hand before throwing it far across the room. Doctor Nii had only an instant to step aside, les he be cut by the shattering shards. Of course, he pulled it off seemingly gracefully.

"Hmm… Oh my. Having a bad day?"

"Doctor Nii."

The demoness glared at her servent, hating him for smiling while she's in such a sour mood, like usual. He was always treading on thin ice, but it's not like she could just kill him. He wasn't COMPLETELY useless, after all.

"What seems to be bothering you, my lady?"

"Hmph." And she looked away.

"Could it be… the Sanzo party again?"

It was ALWAYS them causing her frustration, so it wasn't difficult for someone to guess, yet, it still brought her attention back to him.

"So you were watching again, also, hmm Nii?"

"Oh, yes… I was watching very closely!"

"GRRR… I can't stand it! We send demon after demon, and yet, every single one fails me!"

"Yes, it would seem none of them are capable of getting the scripture from Priest Sanzo, who kills them at long-range, Sha Gojyo kills both long and short range as Son Goku protects the priest. We can wound them, but Cho Hakkai heals them, and if we poison them, Koume cures them. It's a completely solid defense, if I do say so, myself."

Hearing this, the demon wonam threw another tantrum as the image of the Sanzo Ikkou stop by a river to set up camp.

--

It was quickly growing dark, and they were a few hours from the next town, but they all agreed that they were too tired to travel any further and they set about their tasks. Sanzo was prepping a fire pit, Goku ran off to collect firewood while Hakkai and Gojyo prepared the sleeping bags. While doing that, Hakkai randomly looked around for Koume, only to see her attempting to take the large yellow travel pack down from the jeep. It nearly weighed as much as she did, and seeing it tip towards her made Hakkai nervous. Dropping what he was doing, he dashed across the campsite to steady her and the bag from falling over.

"Koume!"

"Huh? …Ah! Thanks!"

"Koume, what are you doing, trying to lift this heavy thing?"

"I needed the kitchen equipment, since it's my night to make dinner, and it'll be dark real soon!"

"Yes, but… it's much too big for you. Why don't you let me take it from here?"

"Mm-mm. I got it now, but thank you!"

That's when Koume walked off on her own, unknowingly leaving Hakkai was a sorrowful expression. In his mind, he tried to rationalize things, but there was an empty spot in his heart, the spot where he was needed as a father. However, that spot was quickly forgotten as Koume set the pack down by the fire and ran back to hug him.

--

Seeing such joy and calm amongst her enemies made Gyukumen Koushu even more angry, and she glared at the image of the young girl she knew all too well.

"That damn brat… I can't believe she would betray me like this! When we found her, she was nothing but an unborn child! She took time and effort to revive her with the Seiten scripture and speed her aging, keeping her alive, and this is how she repays me?!"

"Well, perhaps the mutation to her genes was… faulty. We may have made her too-"

"YOU did this! Not me!"

The demoness pointed a bony, trembling finger at the scientist, trying, now, to convey her fury. Despite what anyone says, she was not responsible for such an unruly and disobedient child. If anyone, she thought, Kougaiji was a fault for not handling her properly.

"Yes, yes… however, my lady… What has been done has been done. And… perhaps we can Undo her."

"…Do whatever you please with your experiment, doctor. I just want it stopped!"

"Very well, then."


	2. Chapter 2

Sleeping outdoors was something none of the Ikkou enjoyed, but after a long day driving and fighting every few hours, they were usually too tired to complain much. Thankfully, though, it was a quite night and all was silent as they slept into the night. Nearly two hours into their restful sleep, though, there was a rustling. None of them, aside from Goku, were heavy sleepers, but when a bush nearby made another rustling sound, only a pair of crimson eyes opened in alert.

Without moving too much, Gojyo surveyed the area, taking in the entire site, despite the darkness until he could determine that nothing was out of the ordinary. With a sigh, he closed his eyes again, however… _'Damn.' _He cursed to himself, feeling an uncomfortable spasm. _'It would be that when I wake up, it's still dark… This sucks! Stupid alarm-clock body of mine… Gotta pee.'_

Begrudgingly, the redhead arose from his blankets and wandered off to look for a place to relieve himself. That's when he looked back and spotted Koume. She always slept a bit further from the rest of the group for some reason, and at that time, she was curled up on her side as tightly as she could be under her blanket. She didn't really care much for the cold, as he remembered, so he backtracked to his sleeping spot and got his blanket, laying it over her. he had to crack a smile at seeing a content smile take over her features as she uncurled, some.

Koume was still the youngest, in so many ways, even if she tried to act like an adult. Her biological age was no more than 12 years, but having been enhanced by black magic, she was seemingly closer to 19 years old. Still, everyone tried to baby her a little. After all, they were like her family. …But enough about that. He REALLY had to go!

It didn't take too long to wander off again into the woods to find a bush, and when he did, he let out a sigh of relief. To him, it was a curse and a major pain that whenever he wakes up from sleeping, he had to use the can. It didn't matter what time it was. He was just about to head back to the camp when he heard more unsettling ruffling around him and some distant noises. In his sleepy state, he tried to pass it off as nothing, but his demon instincts wouldn't let him forget it so easily, and as he started walking back, the noises started to get louder. Worry soon took over him and he rushed back to the others as quickly and quietly as he could. Just to be cautious, though, he stopped just before the clearing, along the bank of the river, and hid behind a tree.

Looking around the large tree, he caught a most disturbing sight. Several demons had slipped under the radar and invaded the campsite, catching the remaining party off guard. Sanzo and Hakkai had been tied up while Goku was firmly being pinned to the ground. They probably wouldn't be able to hold him still long enough to put a rope around the kid, anyway. Scanning the dark again, Gojyo spotted Koume, who was just then being tied up. Two demons were surrounding her, one putting a kind of muzzle over her mouth from behind. The strange thing, though, was that Sanzo still had his scripture. But it wasn't all that unusual that everyone was glaring at the demons, especially Sanzo, with how those demons were looking at Koume. One of them licked his lips and looked Koume up and down, laughing to himself.

"What a pretty little thing you are… and here I thought you'd be ugly as a witch!"

He got close to Koume, holding her chin in his hand. She cringed as he rubbed his face against hers and took in a deep sniff of her skin and hair. The other demons looked like they were getting excited, but under that excitement was fear.

"Or, maybe not a witch, but a human. But, oh to my surprise, you smell so much better! Not a bad look, either…"

"H-hey!" One of his companions yelled, "I know you're having fun over there, but this is work! Just get it over with!"

"We can't hold this monkey here forever, you know!"

"Yeah!"

"SHUT UP!" The leader yelled back at them, making the others cringe. Once he put them in line, he got even closer to Koume again, who managed to shake the other demon off and take a step back. She was practically blocked in, and this made Sanzo not happy.

"You stay away from her!"

For that little outburst, Sanzo was reprimanded with a solid kick to the side. He tried not to wince or show any weakness in front of the enemy, but it wasn't easy. When one of the guards wasn't looking, Hakkai scooted over to Sanzo, with a worried expression.

"Sanzo, are you okay!"

"F-fine… or at least I will be, when I can reach my gun!"

"I know what you mean. For us to have been rendered harmless so suddenly…!"

"Pathetic."

"Yes, but… doesn't this seem strange to you?"

"Like the fact that these idiots haven't tried to take my scripture yet?"

"Yes. It's as if they don't even know about it. On top of that, their attention is all on Koume! I wonder why!"

Koume was still backing up and trying to struggle out of her bonds and get away from the demon, but the one behind her wasn't letting her get very far again. He managed to stop her movements by grabbing onto her shoulders, his nails almost piercing skin. As the leader got close again and removed the muzzle, Koume tried to bite his hand.

"Bastard!"

"Ooh… Kitty's got a fire in 'er! Good… I like 'em rough around the edges!"

"GRRR… What do you want?"

"For now, just you."

"Me?"

"Well… if it really IS you, that is! I'll just HAVE to make sure you're not an imposter, now wont I?"

The leader's expression turned suddenly darker and predatory as he reached out for her again. His hand started at the top of her head and he slid his bony hand through her brown hair.

"Nice and soft…"

His hand then moved to her forehead and a finger trailed down Koume's nose to stop for a moment in-between her glaring golden brown and red-streaked eyes. Demonic for sure, but not enough for him. He ignored her hard stares and changed the direction of his hand to stroke her cheek and then up along her pointed ear.

"Maybe I'm getting closer! Not many have eyes like yours, and your ears aren't rounded like a humans… but not fully pointed like us! But such warm and soft skin… how dare a man keep you all to himself!" Sanzo glared again, making the leader grin once more. "But perhaps I need even MORE evidence…"

Koume tried not to shudder as her captor ran his fingers over her ear again and again. Sanzo, she decided, was the only one she allowed to touch her sensitive lobes, and there was so much lust and darkness in the eyes looking her over. If only she could run…! She was somewhat relieved when the hand moved again, but that relief was short-lived as it lowered, lightly wrapping around her neck where her choker power limiter was. Goku blushed as he watched the almost intimate advances of the demon, unable to control the heat in his cheeks. Instead of fantasizing, himself, he turned his head away, but if he hadn't, he wouldn't have seen the red blur behind one of the trees.

'_It's Gojyo! Damn, it's about time! What the hell has he been doing over there! He shouldn't be screwing around while we-'_

"Ah!"

Goku's eyes instantly went back to Koume. She was really fighting the demon behind her, now, as the leader scraped the claws of his first hand against her limiter as the other was already starting to unclamp the collar of her shirt. She was blushing, and so was the monkey and everyone else, and the demons were snickering.

"Koume!"

"Damn you! Stop that!"

"Lay one more finger on her and I swear I'll kill you!"

"Ha ha! I'd like to see you try…" The demons all smirked.

The group yelled and cursed, but he didn't stop until all 4 buttons of her shirt were undone and the flap was moved open. Lucky for her, the opening didn't go too far down, but it wasn't her cleavage the demon was looking at, anyway. Instead, he looked at her left collarbone at the top of a long scar where the Kanji for "peace" was tattooed. He saw that and smiled.

"This is all I needed to see! Now, little lady, I'm afraid this is it for you! This sure was a fun little game we played, but we have strict orders from the top to dispose of the 'used goods'!"

When an enemy says that, it's definitely not good news, and Koume started struggling again as the demon laughed maniacally, pulling a vial out of his pocket. The red liquid sloshed around, and only Koume could see that there was a tiny black speck floating in it. She didn't understand what it was, but she wasn't interested in seeing first hand. Unfortunately, as she tried to struggle again, and leader nodded his head and his companion behind Koume took action, kicking the backs of her legs, forcing her to her knees.

Everyone was yelling, struggling, glaring and cursing as the demon took her by the neck again, more forcefully than the last time, and put the vial to her lips. By this time, Goku was getting harder to restrain and Gojyo had seen enough. He summoned his shakujo to attack, but in the 10 seconds it took to make his move, Koume knew it was too late, feeling the crimson liquid burn its way down her throat and soon, burning all of her insides.

She yelled as best she could through the pain, and the leader laughed as hard as he could, seeing his mission completed, but only had a moment to move aside before he would be decapitated. He just barely made it, but his buddy behind the falling Koume didn't, and neither did one of the guards by Sanzo and Hakkai, and two of Goku's holders, allowing him to get free. The leader only got a cut on his arm, but another swing of the crescent blade cut the binds of all 3 prisoners, and once the others were free, he was sure to get more than that, as well as the others with him.

"Gojyo!"

"What the hell TOOK you so long, you jerk!"

"Hey, give me a break… I'm only one guy, you know!"

Demons were scrambling now, including the leader with the empty vial, and Hakkai rose to his feet rather shakily, but free. It was then that he spotted Koume, who was trying to run away from a taller demon. Koume was feeling unusually dizzy and still, her body was burning. The demon chasing her didn't seem all that strong, but while she was feeling so weak and strange, she wasn't willing to risk getting caught in a fight. And if only she could find the others… she just couldn't focus! Nervously, Koume looked behind her, and when she didn't see him, she was relieved, until she turned and felt a sharp tug on her hair. The next thing she noticed was the feeling of the ground making contact with the back of her head and once she was down, the demon was over her, his dark sword pointed down at her.

"Finally! This is game over-"

BANG!

Sanzo had been going on a shooting spree since his release, and in just a few short moments, nearly all of the demons were dead, including the leader, and all except for one or two who escaped into the dark, never to be seen again. Letting even one of the demons escape made everyone angry… but it wasn't like any of them had time for that, seeing as Koume was still on the ground, not moving. Goku was the closest to her at the time and he yelled for the others as he ran towards her, skidding in the dirt at her side, only to be shocked at what he found.

Koume's shirt was still open at the top and Goku hadn't expected to see so far down her chest. That, along with her face tinted red and panting lightly, made him blush, but he at least did her a favor by moving the flap of her collar more to cover her- just in time to move aside as Sanzo skid next to him and held her in his lap. Hakkai and Gojyo ran up next and the brunette knelt on the other side of Koume, reaching out to lightly feel her cheek. Gojyo set a hand over his mouth in shock… how else could he respond, after seeing what he did?

Sanzo was calling out for her as he held her securely in his arms, but even his calls and touches weren't waking her.

"Koume? Koume!"

As if Hakkai hadn't been worried before, now he was practically a wreak! Koume was completely unresponsive and his shaky hands moved across her burning face and then her neck, to check for a pulse.

"Koume? Come on, baby… wake up for daddy!"

Sanzo was slightly taken aback by the sudden baby talk, but given the situation, he would have tried anything, himself. Koume was Hakkai's only family, and Sanzo, especially, understood that. Finally, Koume reacted, some, by opening her eyes. It was only for a brief moment, but it was enough to reassure them, and carry Koume back to her blankets.


	3. Chapter 3

Time had passed very slowly for the group since the demons' defeat, although it was already late when they had been ambushed. Morning's first light would soon be upon them, but most everyone was still awake. Sanzo still had Koume lying in his arms and Hakkai was situated across from him, looking worried and exhausted. A few moments later, Gojyo reentered the campground again, this time with a basin of cool water. He stopped a moment, watching the stillness of the three before continuing on to set the basin next to Hakkai.

"Thank you." Hakkai said flatly.

"No problem, man."

Sanzo handed Hakkai a simple rag and Hakkai dipped it in the chilled water before handing it back to him. Sanzo took the cloth and gently dabbed it over Koume's burning cheeks and neck. Once again, Hakkai reached over to check her out, but just the silence was beginning to grate on Gojyo's nerves. Still, he tried to keep his cool.

"How is she?"

"…It's hard to tell. Her body is lowering back to safe levels, and aside from the fever, there are no symptoms to assume she's ill."

"Then, that red liquid…?"

Hakkai nodded his head. It was Gojyo's time to fall into silence, now, and for a long time, the only noise was that of Goku's deep snoring. The monkey boy had easily fallen asleep some hours ago, and it annoyed Gojyo to no end. Maybe it wasn't so much that the noise bothered him, but jealousy that he could be so 

relaxed in a time of worry. Still, nobody was in the mood to deal with a fight, so Gojyo decided not to bug him.

"Lucky bastard. Remind me to smack him around later, will ya?"

"Ahaha… alright." Hakkai finally cracked a smile. What was it about Gojyo that made him feel better? Sanzo couldn't figure it out, either, but sitting around in the dead of night was helping them any, so he sighed.

"We should all get some rest. We'll reach town tomorrow and we can take better care of Koume there."

"You're right."

Hakkai leaned over to place a soft kiss on his daughter's cheek before getting up. He and Gojyo soon slipped back into their places and Sanzo hugged Koume's shaking form close as he pulled a blanket over them both. He, too, was worried- more than he'd let on to the others- and it was getting even more difficult to contain. Koume seemed so weak and frail in his arms, but he knew, somehow, that they would help her. Placing a kiss of his own on her pink lips, he shut his eyes and waited for morning to bring relief.

"Don't worry, Koume… I will make you well again. Trust me."

--

Night seemed to vanish before any of them realized it, and when light of nearly noon filtered over the campsite, it awoke the drowsy priest. The stress and exhaustion from the previous night had already started to take its toll, and so the monk groaned and desperately tried to get back to sleep. It was sort of difficult, though, with how much Koume was struggling against him. This made him groan.

"Koume. Go back to sleep."

But she just wouldn't stop moving. With a more frustrated growl, he reached out his hand to still her and only then did he realize something was wrong. Remembering last night he expected Koume to still be ill, but the form he felt next to him was far different than he could have ever anticipated. Sitting up with a start, his amethyst eyes widened considerably.

"Oh. My. GOD!"

Their companion's exclamation scared away the nearby birds and awoke the others, making them nearly jump out of their make-shift beds. Hakkai and Gojyo immediately left their blankets to run over, and Goku wiped away his drool before joining them. Four pairs of eyes immediately widened as they stared down at a pair of golden-red eyes… of a 3 year old.

"What the… hell?"

For a moment, Goku thought he was still dreaming, but when he knelt down to poke the child on the forehead, he watched her eyes cross. This was no dream… Gojyo turned to Hakkai, still gaping.

"'Kai… Who is this brat and what the hell is going on?"

"I… have no idea!"



"'Kai… who is the brat?"

"I have… absolutely no idea!"

"Ha ha! She's so cute, though, whoever she is! …Sanzo?"

"! Wh-what? I don't know who it is!"

"But, she was cuddling with you, right?"

"Oh Sanzo…" Gojyo covered his eyes, "You dog! Does that mean she's Koume's?! How could you!"

"Sh-shut up! We haven't done anything!"

While Gojyo teased Sanzo and Goku tried to cut in, Hakkai decided to take a better look at the child. If a strange child showing up wasn't weird enough, where had Koume gone off to? It was a crazy idea he had, of course, but being the only sane one at the moment, he just had to check. He noticed the empty clothes lying around her and knew them to be Koume's, and if they were hers then... As a hunch, he inspected further and was horrified to see a long scar across the baby's chest and three long scars on her back. Although, the 'peace' kanji on her collarbone was all the proof he needed.

"This is… impossible!"

"Mm?" The others looked down to see Hakkai cradling the child in his arms.

"This isn't Koume's baby… it IS Koume!"


	4. Chapter 4

All jaws dropped. They tried to talk rationally about it for some time only to determine that her change may have had something to do with the incident the night before. The red liquid must have been the cause of her… change. A sudden rustling in the bushes made them jump, and though it was nothing, each one agreed that it was not safe for them to remain in that area. So, they gathered their things, put one of Goku's shirts on Koume and burned rubber.

"We have to find some way to turn her back, Hakkai! But how could we do that?"

"…"

"Mm? Hakkai?"

"Sanzo, do we…?"

"Hakkai…"

"…I-I'm sorry. It's just that I never got this chance before, and-"

"She's in danger. …And I guess she's cute. I understand."

Smiling a little, Hakkai drove on. They stayed mostly quiet for a while, Sanzo with the child in his lap, and with a few hours left to the town, tensions were slightly high. For a little while, Koume looked back at Gojyo and Goku as they roughhoused for absolutely no reason, but eventually, she managed to fall asleep. Hakkai would occasionally glance over at her, after Goku took responsibility for her, and he would catch him petting her hair softly and talking to the sleeping child. For a while later, there was a peaceful silence that the group hardly ever saw on the road. Finally, though, they reached the town and found an open inn only a few meters in. the town was very small, and looked somewhat empty, but lights were on in many of the buildings, so at least it wasn't abandoned. Hakkai pulled up to the front of the inn and got out. Once he took Koume from Goku, he held the tiny child against his shoulder and they entered. There was a man at the front desk.

"Excuse me. Is this inn vacant?"

"Ah! Greetings, gentlemen! How fortunate for you that we have room!" He smiled.

"Oh that's wonderful! Thank you!" Gojyo then held up a hand.

"We'll take five rooms, please."

"Oh… five, you say?"

The innkeeper looked around at the four young men, pausing a moment to linger on Koume. For a brief moment, Sanzo looked embarrassed, so he cleared his throat and corrected the redhead.

"Four rooms, please."

Once their room keys had been given to them, Hakkai passed Koume to Gojyo, who tried to give her to Sanzo, until Goku glared and took Koume back from him. They all turned, then, to go to their rooms, but-

"Gojyo, would you stay and give me a hand with something?"

He sighed and agreed, although disappointed, as he had other plans. But, Hakkai wasn't just someone you could brush off…



"Mr. Innkeeper, would you happen to know if there is a children's clothing store in town?"

"Childs' clothes? Hmm… I only know of one store that sells clothing. They just may have something to fit her."

"Oh, what a relief… It's silly, but we're not quite prepared for… you know."

"I understand. Is she yours?"

"Yes. She's my first and only child."

"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. As a father, I know what you're going through. And, uh… as to her mother? When you four walked in here, I thought it strange that you would be traveling with a child so young!"

"Yes, it's hard… but sometimes, it's amazing just how old she acts. And… my wife passed away some time ago."

"I'm sorry to hear that. My condolences. "

"Thank you."

The two of them spoke for a short while longer, until Gojyo, bored and annoyed, pushed Hakkai out the door. They were gone for about an hour, leaving Goku and Sanzo- but mostly Goku- to tend to Koume. For one, Goku took very naturally to babysitting, although, nearly the entire time, she was asleep. He would sit by the bed she was on and just watch her, but it was so boring, he almost fell asleep, himself. Sanzo, however, tried not to seem affected at all by their situation, as he sat in a nearby chair with the paper. Occasionally, though, he'd briefly glance over, seeing Goku sitting on the floor, then at Koume, lying on her stomach and breathing softly. She hardly ever snore, and that was an attractive quality. Things were very quiet and content, until-



"Geeeeeze! This is so boring!!"

"Hey!" Sanzo snapped, a little too loudly, causing Koume to stir. Seeing that, he quieted down, but showed his frustration with a glare.

"Hey. Keep it down, will you? She's asleep!"

"But I can't help it! All she's doing is sleeping, and I'm bored! I've got nothing to do at all!"

"Too bad. She's not a toy, so leave her be until-"

As if on cue, and much to Sanzo's disappointment, Koume yawned. Her mouth opened wide, revealing young and dull fangs, and when she sat up, she rubbed at her eyes cutely. Goku couldn't help but smile, and the urge to smother her with love was almost overwhelming. As for Sanzo… well, he returned to looking through his paper, but he was becoming somewhat used to her new appearance. Sure he wasn't happy with it, but it's not like they planned it.

Before too long, Koume was up on her feet, walking around to look at everything. Once she'd more or less gotten used to the room, Goku started playing peek-a-boo with her, every time he would move his hands away from him face, Koume would break out laughing and kept falling over. The noise was starting to get to Sanzo, though, so he suggested they play hide and seek, instead. Goku agreed and showed Koume how to play; she seemed to pick up the game rather quick, and after only a few rounds, she was starting to outsmart him. The first time, she hid under Goku's covers, then behind the table Sanzo was sitting at, the under the bed. The next time Goku uncovered his eyes, however, Koume was nowhere to be found.

Goku double-checked every place there was to hide, but she was still nowhere in sight, and he was starting to worry. Sanzo soon became curious, also, until he saw the slightly open door. Grunting, he set his paper down and left the room, coming 

back a moment later with a curious little girl under his arm. He quickly passed her off to Goku and then pointed a finger in her face, trying to hold a glare.

"Keep it in the room. Got it?"

Instead of listening to his warning, Koume was apparently only interested in staring at his finger as it moved back and forth a little. Her ignorance was only slightly getting on his nerves, but it wasn't exactly that which was making him so irritated. So, forgetting it, he moved back to his chair and went back to his paper.

"Heh heh… that was really sneaky, Koume! Now Goku-niichan needs a break!" Sinking back against the edge of the bed, he tried to relax, but Koume made her objections hard to ignore, pouting and pulling on the collar of his shirt slightly.

"Aww…. Wa mo?" After only a moment of staring into those cute little eyes, Goku couldn't refuse her.

"Yeah, okay. I'll count to five this time!"

So once again, Goku closed his eyes and counted loudly. Nearby, Sanzo made a strange noise of surprise, and when Goku opened his eyes again, Koume was missing a second time. He searched, but she just wasn't there.

"Huh… did she leave again?"

"No… I don't think so…"

Sanzo looked away from him, trying his hardest not to blush, which made Goku more than curious. Just then, however, the door opened and in walked Hakkai and Gojyo, each with a bag in their arms. Goku got up and smiled at them.

"hi! Welcome back!"

"Hello, Goku! Sanzo." Hakkai smiled.

"How did the shopping go? Did you bring me meat buns?"

"It went fairly well… but no meat buns this time!" Goku seemed disappointed, but was immediately handed something else: a book.

"Huh? 'How to care for toddlers'?"

"Mm-hmm! This should help us take care of Koume!"

"But, Hakkai… she wont be like this for very long, will she?" At this, everyone stopped and looked at him. Hakkai was silent a moment, as if thinking about it, before turning back to the bag.

"Who knows… But look! We even managed to buy her some cute clothes!"

"Uh… yeah, we did!" Gojyo seemed confused, but he didn't have time to think about that as he looked about the room. "Say, where is Koume?"

At this, Goku started laughing lightly and Sanzo turned his head away from them, blushing again.

"Ah, well… we were playing a game…"

"Koume? Hello?

"Koume, it's okay! I give up!" Once that was said, she finally emerged, from one of the most unusual places…. Sanzo's robes! She'd somehow managed to hide herself in the bottom folds of Sanzo's robes where it met the floor. Once they moved aside, everyone could see her smiling, clinging onto Sanzo's leg. For one, 

Gojyo had himself a good laugh as Hakkai finally dislodged her from Sanzo's leg and set her up on the bed.

"Now… what was she doing down there, Hmm?" Gojyo snickered.

"We were just playing!" Goku replied, somewhat angered by Gojyo's joking, now.

"Is that so, Koume?"

"Mmf! We play hi-ah-see!" She said with a smile.

"Hide-and-Seek, huh? How fun! And guess what!"

"Wha?"

"Daddy bought you some new clothes!" 3

Koume's face instantly lit up, and she clapped her hands, so excited about something new. In fact, nearly everyone was interested, and leaned closer to see. Hakkai first pulled out a little blue summer dress and small booties, and everyone was polite enough to turn as he changed her. Once he was done, however, they turned back and Sanzo's eye twitched.

"Training pants, Hakkai? Seriously?"

"Ahahaha… well, I couldn't be sure if she was potty trained or not!"

"Gross." Gojyo and Goku both agreed.

And then, quite predictably, Goku's stomach decided to get involved and change the topic. He had been so busy playing with Koume, he'd neglected to even feed 

himself, and now, he was paying for it. Plopping down onto the bed, his bed, he groaned quite loudly.

"Aw, man! I'm starving!! Hakkai, we GOTTA go eat before I DIE!"

"Whatever, monkey. We're fairly certain by now that you dying of hunger isn't possible!"

"Right." Goku muttered a curse at them.

"…Although, I'm kinda hungry, too, so we should eat."

"! What the HELL! If you were hungry, too, why'd you pick on me?!"

"No reason. Besides, you're always hungry!"

"GRRRR!!"

"Aha… if you could all wait just a while longer, we can get going."

Hakkai was trying to concentrate on reading that little book of his, Goku's stomach was still growling, and all the while, Koume was just silently staring up at them all, as if trying to understand what was happening. Out of pure curiosity, she randomly set her gaze on Gojyo, and it wasn't too long before he could feel her eyes on him. He turned, stared at her for a moment before sticking his tongue out, playfully. Oddly enough, she copied him, and he rolled his eyes. Koume tried to copy the motion, but wasn't as successful. Laughing lightly, Gojyo bent down to her level and pointed a finger in her face.

"You… are one weird kid. You know that?"



She didn't answer him; instead, she took hold of his long finger, brought it closer to her mouth, and bit down. Gojyo jumped slightly and forcefully pulled his hand away, frightening the child and making her cry. At this, everyone looked over.

"K'so!"

"Eh?"

"Gojyo, What the hell did you do? She's bawling!"

"I didn't do anything! She bit me! All I did was pull my hand back!"

"Gojyo, please calm down… I'm sure she didn't mean to."

"Yeah, she's just a baby, after all! She doesn't know any better!"

"Psh… the normal her would…" The room turned silent, and it seemed strange… it wasn't until a moment later that they realized Koume was no longer crying. Looking down, though, Gojyo almost cringed.

"Uh… Goku?"

"Yeah?"

"You do realize that Koume's currently gnawing on your hand… right?"

"Yeah. So?"

"…Nevermind."

For one, Hakkai thought the sight was cute, but since her fangs were still coming it, he thought it best to replace Goku's hand with a teething ring. She enjoyed that! Now, though, it was apparent that everyone was eager to leave to get food, so Hakkai picked Koume up and they left.


	5. Chapter 5

Though their current predicament was unusual and unfortunate for them all, each one of them had to admit… Koume was one cute kid! On the walk to the restaurant, she ran about in the sun, holding her arms out like she was flying. Each person they passed on the road stared at her and smiled, and for one, it made Hakkai feel proud… even if he knew this was wrong, and possibly temporary. A couple of times, though, as he let his thoughts wander, Koume had managed to wander a ways off to try and talk to random passerby's, but when Hakkai called her, she came running to his side and held onto his pant leg as they continued their walk.

Since the town wasn't too big, it didn't take the group long to locate the restaurant. It was small, but from the outside, it looked quiet and peaceful, just as the innkeeper had told them. When they entered through the front door, however, the unsuspecting group was suddenly assaulted by a large cloud of smoke. Friendly music was playing from a jukebox in the corner, but the smoke just made it feel unpleasant. To the right, around the bar, they could see several rowdy customers, and no doubt, the causes of the heavy smoke. The owner was there as well, trying to get them under control, but they kept brushing him off.

"Damn. And I wanted a relaxing meal, too… How dare they ruin that!"

"Hakkai, isn't there another place to go?"

"I'm afraid not…"

Hakkai suddenly felt a slight tug on his pants, and when he looked down, he saw Koume with a hand to her mouth, coughing terribly. At this, Hakkai became alarmed- being reminded of her sensitivity to cigarette smoke.

"Goku!"



"Uh, yeah?"

"We're going to take care of this, so please take Koume out for some fresh air."

"! Oh, right! C'mon, Koume!"

She reached out and Goku gently took her hand to lead her out. Once they were out of the smoking zone, the group turned back to the troublemakers and decided to get involved.

"S-sirs, please!" The owner pleaded. "I'll ask you once more not to smoke in here! This is a family establishment!"

"Yeah? Then we'll tell YOU one more time, we'll do what we want! So git outta here, ya old man!"

"Ha ha ha ha!"

"Excuse us."

"Huh?" The brutes looked behind them.

"I'm afraid I agree with the owner… and must ask you to bring it outside."

"What? Another loser…?"

"Loser, huh?" Gojyo chuckled. "Doubt it."

"'Ch."

"The sign says no smoking, or can't you read?"

"I don't care what it says! I'll smoke wherever I damn well plea-"



At that moment, there was a shiny silver gun pointed directly in his face, and the drunken man froze up stiff. Sweat weaving its way down the men's faces signified that they were now paying attention, and Sanzo repeated the 'request' albeit, not as nicely.

"Take the smoking outside or I'll smoke you."

Despite the frightening tactics, it worked just fine, and the men quickly paid their tabs before running out, nearly toppling over themselves on their way. Soon, the ceiling fans could do their job and the smoke was cleared away, allowing everyone to breathe a lot easier. And after laughing at the men, Goku brought Koume back inside as the owner came up to thank them.

"Gentlemen, I thank you! Those troublesome men have been causing so much trouble…"

"Well they probably wont be back for some time."

"Yes… How may I repay you?"

"That isn't necessary." Sanzo said, nonchalantly. "It's not like we did it as a favor to you or anything."

"He's right, I'm afraid… My daughter has a delicate condition is all…"

"Oh I see." The owner nodded, looking down at the small child. "Even so, you did me a great service, so your food is on the house tonight!"

"WOO-HOO! Food!!"

"Oh, you'll regret that, man…"



Gojyo felt a light tug on his pants this time, and he looked down to see Koume with her arms raised up.

"Huh? Oh, you want up?"

He complied, and once she was in his arms, Koume's eyes lit up at seeing things from a different height. It was as if she'd never seen anything like it before, which they all knew she had. Still, this wasn't the normal Koume… so he put up with it. Once she was done looking around, her eyes once again settled on Gojyo.

"What're you lookin' at, munchkin?" She didn't answer. Instead, she reached out her little hand and pulled roughly on Gojyo's hair.

"! Ow, ow, ow!!" She immediately let go. "What'd you do that for?!"

"…Hur'?"

"YES, it hurt, damnit!"

Yelling in her face wasn't' exactly a smart move, and she soon started to cry. Forgetting how easy she got upset, he hurriedly, apologized and patted her head. Once she was finally calm, he joined the others at a table, setting her in his lap.

"Geeze… raising a kid is hard!"

"You're telling me! I'm exhausted and hungry!"

"Aha…"

"…"

It wasn't long before the owner returned to take their orders, but upon hearing just how much they had planned on hearing, the color started to drain from his face. Surely if he were to give them their meals for free, his business would suffer greatly, so he negotiated a discount instead. It would obviously take a while to prepare their food, so the owner brought by some drinks to keep them occupied. Their food was barely on the table when Goku started chowing down. His manners, as usual, were awful, but it was always sort of funny how he and Gojyo would fight over this or that. Remembering that there was a child present, the owner brought a highchair for her, although it took a while to get her to sit still in it. But for some reason… all it took was one look from Sanzo.

So strange… the power he had over her, even then. Even as a child, she seemed completely mesmerized and infatuated with him, but it was unsettling to Hakkai how distant Sanzo had become towards her. He didn't quite understand it…

But aside from that, the group had something to think about. Having had no previous childcare experiences, they couldn't decide on what to feed Koume! The book Hakkai bought suggested something small and soft. So, Hakkai quickly snatched one of the nikuman from the center of the table and cut it into small pieces and put it in front of her with some rice. For a while, she merely stared at it, not sure what to do with it and the whole table was silent. Finally, she picked up a small piece and bit into it. It was pleasing that she smiled and took another bite.

"Ah! She likes it!" Goku cheered, not noticing that Gojyo was stealing eggrolls off his plate until it was too late. They went back to arguing in-between bites, and Hakkai tried to calm them down. After a few warning shots, the table returned to normal with Gojyo and Hakkai talking, Goku eating away and Sanzo silent as ever. 

But, he had a feeling there were eyes on him, and he found himself looking over at the ever-curious Koume. She was smiling at him, like she usually did, and she even picked up a slobbery piece of nikuman, intending to share it with him, but he turned his head and ignored her, and Hakkai absently pushed her hand back down. She seemed momentarily disappointed, but not much could depress Koume for long. It was one of her best qualities, after all, and one that each of them was grateful for! …Would they ever get to see that side of her again?


	6. Chapter 6

By the end of dinner, it was dark outside, and the entire group was exhausted. Thankfully, Koume had fallen asleep and Hakkai held her carefully against his shoulder as they made their way back to the inn. Gojyo huffed as he walked, hands hanging weakly in pockets.

"Well, that was some first day, huh?"

"Yeah, I'm completely drained I wanna sleep in tomorrow!"

"I feel the same way, but… Sanzo?"

Said priest had been quiet for some time, and he hadn't even realized he'd let his mind wander so much. When Hakkai repeated his inquiry, he briefly glanced at the sleeping child and sighed.

"We can't very well go anywhere with Koume like that."

"Thank you, Sanzo…!"

Hakkai smiled and the other two cried tears of joy. For once, they didn't have to get up early in the morning only to look forward to a long, hot, frustrating day on the road! It had been a month since they'd been able to stay in a town more than one evening, and they were going to make the best of it. But before he could fully enjoy it, Gojyo had a question.

"Hey… where is Koume gonna sleep?"

It was a very good question and it struck them all silent.

"Aw, whatever! She can stay with me, Hakkai!" Goku offered.

"Uh… Goku, you like to toss and turn in your sleep." Hakkai warned.



"Yeah, so? What're you trying to say?"

"He's saying that you'd squish her with that lard butt of yours!"

"What did you say?!" He exclaimed.

"I, on the other hand-"

"Will NOT." Hakkai cut in. Gojyo immediately shut up. Since Sanzo wasn't making an offer, Hakkai took responsibility and as soon as they reached the inn, 4 doors closed.

--

12:00 am:

Goku, like expected, was happily dreaming away about some kind of bizarre Nikuman amusement park when a sudden, strange noise broke him out of this wonderful dream. Somehow, he ended up waking up on the opposite end of the bed that he fell asleep on, but his position was the least of his concerns. What he wanted to know was what the strange noise was, and who was making it. It kind of sounded like scratching… Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he pushed himself out of bed and opened his door.

To his surprise, he looked down to find Koume sitting by his door. She was dressed in a cute little blue night shirt with matching poofy pants, and he couldn't help but notice her little hand, suspended in the air as she looked up at him. Putting two and two together, Goku smiled. She had been scratching on his door to get his attention, which made him very happy.



"Ah…! I knew you wanted to spend the night with me!"

When Koume rose her other hand up, Goku gladly lifted her up off the floor and closed his door on the way back in. Sure, he made sure to be very careful with her, but he still ended up falling asleep before her.

2:00 am:

Gojyo hated going to bed alone. It was boring and quiet, and he hated to admit it, but he missed sharing a room with someone- even Goku! It was that bad… Sighing, Gojyo turned onto his side and wondered what time it was. It felt both late and early at the same time, he thought, and he really needed sleep. However, just as his eyelids slipped closed, there was a soft scratching sound coming from the other side of his door. He didn't want to get up, but curious as to what it was, he got up and went to the door. Opening it, he found Koume sitting on her knees, staring up at him. At her surprised glance, Gojyo smirked.

"So you chose me after all, huh?"

"Gozo?"

"Yup." When she lifted her arms, he gladly picked her up and brought her inside his room. Being as gentle as he could, he slipped back into bed and tucked her in next to him. But as to what to do next…?

"So… what? You want me to read to you or something?"

Koume shook her head slightly before relaxing against Gojyo's pillow, lying down on her stomach. Gojyo just had to smile at that, and he petted her soft hair. Gojyo 

managed to get some company after all, and even just watching her was making him tired, and soon enough, his eyes fell closed again.

3:00 am:

Hakkai couldn't understand why he was waking up when it was still so very early in the morning, and he lie awake staring at the ceiling pondering it. It was so quiet, very quiet… a little too quiet, he thought, and absently, he turned his head. The first thing his tired eyes focused on was the door, slightly ajar. He was sure he'd closed it when going to bed, so why was it… then it hit him. Sitting up suddenly, Hakkai searched around the covers next to him. Koume was gone!

"Koume…? Koume?" Without grabbing his monacle, Hakkai slipped out of bed and searched around the room- under the bed, the table, behind the travel pack, but she wasn't there. Then, his attention was brought back to his open door as a soft sound started up from out in the hall. Cautiously, he made his way there and peeked out to see Koume sitting and scratching on the door across from his- Sanzo's. Around the same time, the other two had awoken to discover her missing, and they both opened their doors and looked out just in time to see Hakkai lifting Koume up off the floor, yawning.

"No, no, Koume… let Sanzo rest."

As he carried her back to his room, she whinned and reached out, trying to get back to Sanzo's door, but Hakkai wouldn't let her. The rest of the morning went much like that, and she alternated between rooms first every hour, then every 40 minutes. At 8 in the morning, all but Sanzo were up and semi-active, although they were all too exhausted to entertain the wide-awake child. Hakkai had 

considered shopping a good escape, so he left her in the semi-capable hands of Gojyo and Goku.

Koume sat on the floor laughing as she played with some of the toys Hakkai had bought her, and the boys were sitting together leaning against the wall on Goku's bed.

"Aw man… I didn't sleep a wink last night! Koume kept pulling my hair!" Gojyo complained.

"Whatever. Every time she came to me, it was so I could take her to the bathroom! Least we know she's potty trained, but…"

"Yeah.. but with all that, when did she get a chance to sleep? How can she possibly be so awake right now?"

Goku could only manage a shrug. For about half an hour, the two only sat there like bumps on a log, and Koume started to get bored. She wanted them to play with her, but they kept brushing her off. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore and she sat roughly on the floor. They knew they were in trouble when she started hiccupping. Her tiny body started to shake with silent sobs before she suddenly exploded into loud yells and tears. Almost immediately, the two sprang into action. They tried waving toys in front of her and making faces, but nothing would make her stop crying. Finally, Gojyo picked her up and tried to bound and rock her into calmness as Goku slipped to the floor, his hands firmly pressed over his ears.

"Gaaaah! DO something, Gojyo!"

"I'm trying! She just wont shut up!"



"Well yelling isn't going to help!"

"You're yelling worse, you stupid monkey!!"

"SHUT! UP!"

Both of them instantly stopped and went stiff as the door to the room slammed open and in stomped Sanzo in all his fury. He had been listening to their complaints all morning, and it was more than obvious that he was sick of it. On top of it all, Koume was still screaming. In just a few long strides, Sanso crossed the room, swiped Koume from Gojyo and stormed out, slamming their door again. Gojyo and Goku were very freaked out and confused… but nevertheless, grateful for the break.


	7. Chapter 7

Sanzo was considerably calmer when he left the other room, and by the time he returned to his own room and closed the door, Koume was a lot calmer, too. Sighing, Sanzo sat down on the edge of his bed, letting the child sit on his lap. For a while, she just looked around at everything in the strange new room, taking it all in. It wasn't until she looked back at him, though, that she smiled.

" I don't get you… You were trying to get into my room earlier, right?" She nodded happily in reply.

"And you keep trying to get my attention, but I…"

Koume's expression turned to one of confusion as she watched the emotions on Sanzo's face change, while a wrench in his heart tightened. Ever since he awoke with that small child in his arms, he had seen her and treated her as if she were a complete stranger that didn't deserve his attention… but holding her in his arms like that, he couldn't deny that she was still Koume inside!

"Of course… No other person could have eyes like yours…"

He'd spent so much time with Koume on their trip so far, fighting, talking, or even just sitting and talking, and with al she did, she may have well been an adult. But Sanzo knew what unfortunate events led to her life up til then… and this small child, he thought, was as close to what she really was… a child. Just acting grown up didn't make her one, and she never got the chance to grow up properly.

Hanging his head, Sanzo thought more about this, ignoring the child on his lap, and Koume simply sat there staring at him with bright eyes. However, she was still a toddler, and she could sit still no longer. She started wriggling on his lap. It was hard to think about anything other than the moving child, so Sanzo had to temporarily abandon his musings. He set the girl on the floor and right away, she waddled off, seemingly searching for something.



"I don't have any toys in here, you know…" But she didn't listen.

"What are you looking for, then? Hmm?"

Again, Koume didn't respond. She was really searching hard… what did she want? Once she had looked everywhere, having not found what she wanted, she returned to Sanzo, holding onto his robes. The monk quirked a curious brow as he stared down at her.

"What? I told you I don't have toys." But she shook her head.

" I wook for yoo smile!" She exclaimed, pointing to her own face. Nobody but Goku could smile as wide as that, and it was oddly contagious. Soon, Sanzo found his lips curling ever so slightly before he caught himself. Even that small smirk made the child very happy, and she jumped around, squealing in delight.

"Okay, okay. That's enough out of you…"

And with that, Sanzo lifted the child up and sat against the pillows on his bed, laying Koume gently on his chest. She seemed more than content there, immediately snuggling against him as her eyes slowly closed. She drifted off so easily… Staring at her, Sanzo could go back to his earlier musings, but seeing her like that, he couldn't bear it… He sat there, just petting the child's soft brown hair, watching her breathe and feeling her hands lightly clench in his shirt.

"Koume… I know you're still in there. And I Swear… I'll get you back to normal soon. Until then… I'll protect you."

Not long after, his own eyes couldn't keep themselves open, and he fell into a deep sleep. Outside, Hakkai was rushing through the small crowds littering the street balancing several bags of groceries and wishing he had asked Goku to come with him. he was rushing, at that, trying to get back to the inn as fast as possible, but… why? He didn't sense any danger, so when his chest started to hurt from the strain, he promptly slowed his pace.



It wasn't until then that he also noticed the strange drop in temperature. When he started out, it was fairly warm, but now there was a chill in the air. Hakkai could see his panted breaths almost clearly, and looking up, he saw dark clouds starting to form.

"Is it going to rain…?"

He decided to hurry back again. Rushing into the inn, Hakkai dropped their supplies off in his room before going back to where he left Koume. Probably the first thing he noticed was the silence. Even after only one day, he had learned that there's no such thing as perfect silence when there was a toddler around. He reached Goku's room and softly knocked on the door. When no one answered, he knocked again before just letting himself inside.

Inside, Hakkai saw what he could only describe as the most hilarious example of two bumps on a log. Gojyo was sitting up against the wall with his feet hanging over the edge of the small bed, and Goku was seated the complete opposite, with his head and shoulders hanging over the edge, legs propped up against Gojyo. Containing a laugh, Hakkai looked around… but didn't see Koume. He tried to keep himself calm as he gently shook Goku. It took a minute, but the tired teen finally opened his eyes.

"Hey…Goku."

"Mm…? Whaddisit, Hakkai…? Food time?" He asked with a yawn.

"Um, not yet. Where is Koume?"

Goku blinked sleepily a few times, as if not understanding the question, but after another minute and a worried stare, he remembered.

"Oh yeah… Sanzo's got 'er."

"! Sanzo does…?"

That seemed a bit odd to him, considering Sanzo had been avoiding Koume since this incident started. Leaving Goku to return to dreamland, Hakkai quickly padded down the hall and knocked on Sanzo's door. When, again, no reply came, he let himself in and was instantly amazed. There was Sanzo, sound asleep in bed, with a snoozing Koume sprawled over him. It was adorable… and hopeful! But if it was going to get colder, he decided to cover the two with a blanket before leaving to catch up on his own, much-needed rest.


	8. Chapter 8

Only a short while later, Koume was up and active again, driving Gojyo crazy and making Goku get plenty of exercise running after her. Far from there, though, the content group was being carefully watched. Gyokuman Koushu was finally smiling, and for one, Kougaiji, knew that meant nothing good.

--

"You see what I've done here, Kougaiji?"

"You have… regressed Koume. So?"

"What do you think of my newest plot to do away with the Sanzo party?"

"All I can say is that she was cute at that age… and that Sanzo and the others don't seem all that torn up over it. I see no "plot" here."

"My, my; so simple minded… This was only the first stage of my plans."

With a wave of her hand, snow started lightly falling inside the tiny village, then gradually got harder.

"And now you're making it snow? I still don't get it. If you're going to let me in on it, then just spit it out already." A vein pulsed on the demon woman's brow.

"Kougaiji… you should know that child better than anyone."

"Yeah, what of it?"

"Well…" Came the deep and eerie voice of none other than Doctor Nii, emerging from the shadows.

"You should also be well aware of her… weaknesses." His smirk sent a chill even down Kougaiji's spine. What was he up to…?



--

Koume seemed even more energetic and excited seeing the snow, as if she'd never seen it before in her life. Each of them was highly amused, watching her try to squirm out of Hakkai's arms as hw hurried to dress her in more suitable clothes for a romp in the snow. He, somehow, managed to get her into a blue outfit with poofy pants, a semi-long shirt, mittens and a little white poncho.

"I picked that one out, ya know!" Gojyo bragged to Sanzo with a smirk. Said monk was took busy "reading" his paper while sneaking tiny glances at the child.

Goku wasn't exactly excited about snow, himself, but he offered to take her out into it, somewhat excited. Once Hakkai was satisfied she was warm enough, he opened the door and let her waddle her way out. It was somewhat hard for her to walk around on the fresh powder, but Goku stuck close behind her, just in case. After a few minutes, she was jumping around, happy as ever.

"hey Koume, look!" Goku got her attention. " If you stick out your tongue, you can catch the little snowflakes!" He demonstrated for her, and like the little kid she was, she copied him… and loved it! Her eyes lit up with joy and it brought a smile to everyone's faces. Gojyo was standing against the outside wall smoking, Hakkai was watching from the doorway and Sanzo preferred to watch from the window as he "read" his newspaper.

"She's really enjoying this…!" Gojyo said aloud.

"Yes… and if we're lucky, she's wear herself out enough for us to sleep tonight!" Hakkai joked.

"I second that."



"Hey Gojyo!"

"Mm?"

He shouldn't have looked. For when he did, a snowball instantly collided with his face. It nearly knocked him over, and though he managed to stay on his feet, part of the snow quickly slipped down into his shirt, making it twice as bad. Obviously, Goku was thrilled with himself, but Gojyo wasn't about to let him get away with it, and he quickly tackled the cackling monkey into the snow.

"Ahh! It's cold!!"

--

Watching the Sanzo party rolling around happily in the snow, Kougaiji still couldn't comprehend the words his stepmother spoke. It was a funny scene, a calm one, with no evil in sight… Although, the small controller held securely in the evil doctor's hand was troubling. Seeing as he'd gotten the redhead's attention, Nii smiled.

"Do you like it, rabbit prince?"

"What is it?"

"Just a little toy I made." He tossed it around a little. "You see, we needed a way of weakening the Sanzo party enough to get a strong enough attack in, in order to retrieve the maten scripture… and this little doo-hickey is going to help us." Kou narrowed his gaze, suddenly feeling uneasy about the situation. It's that look that made his stepmother laugh.



"! What is so funny?" He glared. Until it hit him. "Y-your target is…"

"And now he gets it! God boy. You see, the liquid we forced her to drink was nothing but a little potion to return her to her childhood state, but what the Sanzo party failed to notice was a tiny seed floating inside the liquid."

"What kind of seed….?"

"Wait and see, prince… wait and see." He doctor chuckled to himself as he softly pressed the single button on the device.

--

As the boys continued to roll around in the snow, Koume had wandered off a bit further and was already halfway done making a tiny snowman. The rolled a bit of clumped snow in her hands, amused by the sound it made, but she wasn't prepared for the sudden feeling of nausea that hit her out of nowhere. In the next moment, her tiny body wracked with strange, sickening sensation which made her shake. The snowball fell from her hands as he eyes widened immensely, and only a barely-audible whimper could escape her lips. It seemed more than enough to alert the others to something not couture, and four pairs of eyes blinked in her direction, staring at her back. Hakkai took a step out into the snow and Sanzo looked up from his paper.

"Koume?" He blinked. "What is it, dear?"

And in that moment, Koume's body simply fell sideways into the snow. She didn't move after that. In a flurry of panic, everyone jumped into action and ran to her side. Hakkai carefully scooped her up into his arms and shook her.

"Koume? Koume?!"



"She doesn't look too good…" Gojyo commented.

" Omg! Is she okay?!"

"…Get her back inside." Sanzo demanded.

--

Kougaiji watched in horror as the child collapsed, and Nii chuckled a bit when their healer tried to fix her. Their target had been Koume all along… Furious, Kou rushed at Nii and grabbed him up by the collar.

"Nii! What the hell did you do?!" He was hardly fazed.

"I'm glad you asked, my prince… You see, that seed I told you about contained a lethal poison. At first, she will show symptoms like that of a cold or the flu, as in, weakness, shortness of breath, flushing of the cheeks, a rising fever. But as the Sanzo party tries to treat it as such, her time will run out. Before they know what they're up against, her internal organs will start to shut down.  
"Impossible!" He shouted. "Koume's unique blood makes her immune to pois…" He paused, face paling. "No… it makes sense, now. That's why you…"

"Exactly. The child has only about 9 hours to live, but in less than 8, it will be too late to do a thing for her. If you wish to say farewell, I suggest you hurry and do so now."

Kougaiji didn't need to be told twice, for he was out the door in an instant. However, he didn't go to the dragon chamber, instead, he broke into Nii's office and started tearing it upside down, looking for something. He practically upturned everything, and the commotion earned him the attention of his companions. When they looked in, though, Kou was sitting on the floor against the wall with his head in his hands.

"Kou?"

"Lord Kougaiji, what is it?"

"I have to find it… something…! Or else she'll die…" The two subordinates exchanged glances, and Kou hid his face tighter in his shaking hands.

"Koume… hang in there!"


	9. Chapter 9

Koume wasn't in any better condition after several hours of treatment, and, feeling her head, Hakkai was becoming doubly worried.

"Her fever isn't going down… if it gets any higher, it could become life-threatening!"

"Who knew a half hour in the snow could do this!"

"The weather didn't do this, baka…" Sanzo said, matter-of-factly, not taking his eyes off the panting child. "It's not possible. No, I have a feeling that this has to do with that liquid she was forced to drink."

"! You mean the stuff that made her little in the first place?" Sanzo nodded in reply.

"If that's the case, then what the hell do we DO about it? Koume's getting weaker and weaker by the minute!" Gojyo exclaimed.

"Don't you think we know that?"

"We have no way of determining what kind of substance she drank or where it came from! For all we know it could JUST be a bad cold!" Hakkai tried to add.

"Would you get real, Hakkai?!"

"HEY!"

Nobody had expected Goku of all people to be so silent one minute and so loud and forceful the next, and it visibly startled them. He had been sitting at Koume's side since she was brought in, and the grip he had on her hand tightened only slightly as he looked back at the others, head down.

"If you're going to argue, take it outside. Koume needs her rest." Sure enough, Koume had finally opened her eyes, and was looking at them sadly. It's as though she could sense their worry and frustration… she always had a gift for that… Silence reigned far too long before Hakkai cracked a weak smile and set his hand on her burning forehead again.

"I'm sorry, baby… go ahead and rest…" Koume softly nodded and her eyes fell closed again.

After that, everyone decided they needed a little break. Sanzo left to smoke a pack of cigarettes, Goku wandered off to find a snack, even though worry was slowly making his appetite disappear, and Hakkai, not Gojyo, headed down to the bar. He had wanted to say by her side, but Gojyo shook his head and told him to take a break. So, Gojyo stayed with Koume alone, watching the tiny chest roughly rise and fall… It was heartbreaking. Not only was she his best friend's child, but they had become good friends as well. Sitting in that quiet room was maddening, and after a while, he replaced the cloth on the child's head and left. He needed to check on Hakkai.

Gojyo wandered down the stairs slowly, taking note of Sanzo, who could be seen through the front window, smoking away on the porch. He wasn't the best at expressing himself, especially when it was about someone he truly cared about, but his face showed more than it normally did. His features were hard and strained, brow creased in concentration and worry. He really was taking it hard. Passing him by and heading to the bar in the inn, Gojyo found that Hakkai was taking it just as hard, or harder. There he was, slumped down on a stool, a beer in his hand and three empty ones sitting on the bar behind him. Sighing, the redhead pulled up a stool next to him and leaned his arms back against the counter. He stayed quiet for a moment before Hakkai spoke.

"How is she…?" Gojyo hated giving bad news, but…

"No change yet…" At this, Hakkai's head hung further. He was seriously depressed…

"It must be raining in Hakkai-Land." He joked, trying to lighten the mood. Hakkai cracked the faintest of smiles before his face fell into gloom once again. Sighing, Gojyo pulled out a smoke and lit up, not caring if he got yelled at for it later.

"Hakkai…" he started, trying to sound comforting. "Don't worry. I'm sure she'll pull out of it, no problem…"

"I hope so, Gojyo… but…" At this, Gojyo looked over.

"But? What but?"

"…She's my kid… my flesh and blood… and yet, here she is, slowly slipping away from me… When I found out Kanan was pregnant, I told her I would take care of and protect Koume, but I can't-"

"Hakkai, man, you can't keep thinking like that. This wasn't your fault! None of us knew that would happen… and we're not about to just give up, either. Koume's a tough kid- just like you. 'Don't you dare give up so easily' she'd say." This earned him another faint smile. It stuck around a little longer than the last one, which was good.

"Yeah, she would say that. She's so smart…strong… just like her mother. She'd never do anything to hurt anyone…"

"Damn straight. Although, if you continue to pout like this, I'm sure she'll give you a good pinch when she wakes up."

A full-out laugh… now that was the Hakkai he knew so well. Both of them laughed as hard as they could muster before relaxation and calm filtered back into the room. Absently, Hakkai looked down at his half-empty beer before handing it over to Gojyo.

"You know, I think I passed over the good part of drunk and went straight to the hangover."

"Ha! Hakkai? Drunk? That'd be a sight…" Gojyo replied, taking a swig. Hakkai nodded, although he was starting to feel a little buzzed… maybe it was amix between the alcohol and worry, but either way, it was something he hadn't felt in a long time. Some quiet passed before Hakkai spoke again, this time startling Gojyo.

"Ne, Gojyo. Do you ever miss the times before Koume was with us?" that made him almost choke on his drink. Looking up with the most amazed look on his face, Gojyo replied.

"Holy hell, you really **are** drunk!" Hakkai laughed again, and looked at his friend.

"Oh, come on… I'm being serious!"

"Ah…okay, okay, let me think…" Gojyo put on a childish face, obviously not taking the question seriously.

"Well, I will admit things did used to have a certain appeal to them, and I could walk around in my underwear without getting scolded…" Hakkai nodded his head, remembering the first time he did that around Koume. He walked back to his room and changed into some pants and spent the whole day with a red hand mark on his cheek.

"But," he continued, bringing back Hakkai's attention. "I like how things are now, too. Koume's been with us for so long, she's a member of our little messed up family, and I wouldn't give her up for the world."

It was deep… far from the way Gojyo usually acted, but it made Hakkai smile. Nodding his head, he silently agreed. The two of them spent a moment longer in silence before the side door opened and the bartended/manager walked in. he gave Gojyo a hard look and scolded him with his eyes for smoking indoors, but given the condition outside, he let it slip. Softly, he dusted the show off his hair, which didn't go unnoticed by the two.

"Is it snowing again?"

"I'm afraid so." He replied with a sigh. "Such odd weather…" Gojyo blew a smoke ring.

"What do you mean odd? Snow is snow, isn't it?"

"Well yes, but we don't get much snow down here, usually. Not for a decade. And now it's almost two feet deep!"

Something didn't seem right. Weather patterns didn't just change like that. It seemed suspicious, but not as much as the soft creak on the front deck. Sanzo, from what they heard, had come in some time ago, so who would be out there at such an- a low growl answered that question, and not a moment later, several demons burst in through the front and side door, baring their teeth and raising their weapons. The first wave was instantly vaporized. Their approach had been more than silent, and as they came in, they fell one by one at the hands of the duo.

"How the hell didn't we hear these buggers?" Gojyo complained, heading out of the bar towards the main stairwell with Hakkai. The brunette thought on this a moment, glancing out the window at the heavily falling snow.

"Could it be…? Maybe the snow drowned out the sound of them coming!"

"Demon's made the snow? Aw, that sucks!" Both looked back as Goku met them, a nikuman sticking out of his pocket. "How can demons make snow?!" He continued to complain.

"Dunno. Black magic, maybe?" Gojyo shrugged.

"Either way, we have to deal with them now!"

The three of them quickly took care of the rest in the inn, the next wave probably waiting outside to attack, and it was then that Goku sniffed the air and knelt by one of the corpses.

"What are you doing, you stupid monkey?"

"This smell… I think these were the guys that got away a few days ago!"

"Are you sure, Goku?" Hakkai turned his way, and Goku nodded.

"Definitely." At this, Gojyo cracked his knuckles, grinning.

"Awesome…we get to pay them back for all the trouble they've caused us!"

And speaking of trouble… just up the stairs, the sound of glass breaking and a gun going off rang through the air. The ikkou's blood ran cold.

"Sanzo! Koume!" Without wasting any time, the group ran up, Goku in front to clear a bloody path, heading for where they left the sickly child. They ran down a long hall and rounded a corner. If Goku had been standing only an inch to the right, he would've been shot. He stood in shock for a moment before glaring at his keeper.

"Sanzo!! That was dangerous! Watch where you're shooting, you idiot!" Sanzo glared.

"Call me an idiot again and I swear the next one wont miss." He warned, loading his gun again.

"Sanzo, is Koume all right?" Hakkai was worried…

"She's fine. Still feverish, but at least she's safe from demons."

"Aw… her little protector…" Gojyo teased.

"Ch'." He said. "Like I'd let some filthy demon lay even a finger on her."

Sanzo really was a caring person, Hakkai thought. Not even a minute later, however, more growls and footsteps could be heard coming their way. The voices were low, rough, and they could almost hear the acid saliva dripping from their mouths. The group took up stance to fight, but Hakkai couldn't stop looking at Koume's room. He knew this battle was going to get tough, and there was a possibility one of them could sneak past them and-

"Sanzo?"

"Mm?" The monk asked, turning his way.

"Would you please go in and grab Koume for me?" The request was strange, but not able to think of a reason why he shouldn't, Sanzo nodded and entered the room. The tiny child was even pinker than before, gasping quicker than when he had been in the room moments earlier.

"Koume…" Softly, as gentle as he could be, Sanzo lifted her in his arms, wrapped in a small blanket and cradled her against his shoulder as he went back out to the hall. It was then that he rose his gun, and Hakkai rose his voice.

"Now run."

That silently demanding request shook Sanzo deep. He looked at the other two, their backs turned to him, and neither of them said a word- in disagreement or the reverse.

"What are you talking about?" Sanzo gave the back of Hakkai's head a good hard look.

"Take Koume and run someplace safe."

"What? You're crazy. I'm not going to ru-"

"Sanzo!" Hakkai yelled rather aggressively there… but it wasn't because he was angry, it was because he was afraid. Sanzo had never heard such desperation in his comrade before. Hakkai took a deep breath before trying again.

"Please, Sanzo… we can handle them, but if Koume gets caught up in this, she wont last…" Looking down, Sanzo knew this to be true.

"I need you, Sanzo, …to look after her. Protect her…please? Keep my baby safe…"

A long moment seemed to pass in the hall, the tense air making it hard to breathe, to focus. On top of that, the sounds of growling were growing ever nearer and their shadows could be seen on the walls. Looking up at his companions one last time, Sanzo cursed.

"You owe me big time." And he bolted down the other hall and jumped out a window. Truth is, though, he would have done it, anything, to keep Koume, his Koume, safe from harm. Hakkai smiles softly to himself after he'd left, fingers raising to trace the shimmering limiters on his ear.

"You got it…Sanzo."


	10. Chapter 10

Sanzo couldn't remember the last time he'd had to run so hard or fast before. Maybe it was back when he was a child, fearfully fleeing for his life after leaving the temple he'd called home for so long. The outside world was a terrifying one, filled with pain and fear and death… Somehow, what he was feeling as he ran through the snow was similar. He carefully and firmly clutched the bundle of warmth to him, his gun still at the ready as he got as far from the inn as he could. All around him, he could hear the snarling demons as they made their pursuit, and as much as he would have liked to stop and turn to face them, he couldn't do anything to risk his precious cargo.

He could feel the child panting against his chest, the heat radiating off of her tiny body was incredible, and frightening all at the same time. It was then, as he ran through the knee-high snow, panting, that it hit him. this was fear. It was something he'd told himself not to feel for so long, but now, he genuinely was afraid! He was worried about how his friends would fair, how they'd find him after they were done… but mostly, he feared for Koume. He'd promised to return her to normal, but all he could do was run.

What was it about Koume that triggered such irrational and strong emotions within the normally cold-hearted priest? She was a demon, that which he had grown to hate and fear, and yet, no other person had touched his heart and opened him up as much as she had. Love…was a strange thing. It made sane people lose their minds and rational people do things that made no sense… but it was something Sanzo wanted to hold onto as best he could.

"Koume… don't worry… you'll be okay!" Sanzo's chest hurt as he ran, the cold air chilling his lungs and making his heart compress in the most horrible way, but still, he wouldn't stop. He did glance back only briefly, noting how the demons were no longer following him, but he'd miscalculated, and as he turned back, his world went dark. Sanzo's head was swimming, everything hurt, and it sucked. The cold soaking into the back of his robes made him come to, and the wind blew by violently, causing the man to shiver. He put his arms over his chest, wanting to be engulfed in the intense heat from before, but there was nothing. Sanzo opened his eyes, despite his panging headache, and then it hit. Panic. Two things were missing from Sanzo's grasp: his gun, and the child he was trying to protect. Trying to sit up, a small trail of blood falling down over the side of his head, Sanzo looked around. His gun was resting not far to his right, shimmering in the faint light, and the other...Koume… was lying to his left, several feet away. A bit of snow was on her shirt, and more was falling down on her as the storm raged on.

Forgetting what it was that made him fall in the first place, Sanzo tried to get up and reach Koume, but a demon, grey in color with spiky white hair jumped down from the tree nearby and landed on top of him. The air was momentarily knocked out of Sanzo's lungs, and in the next moment, he was trying his best to avoid and bat away claws as the demon tried to slice him to pieces. His arms weren't too badly hurt and he was doing well to defend himself, but he couldn't get up with it on top of him. he needed his gun, but also- looking to the left again, he saw two more demons come out of the woods, heading right for Koume. Sanzo yelled out, trying to scare them off, but they didn't listen and kept advancing on the child.

The demon on top of him scratched at his face, causing it, too, to bleed, and now Sanzo was getting pissed. he looked to the other side, at his gun, and while he defended himself with his left hand, reached out with the other towards it. The demon could tell what he was trying to do and fought harder, but no matter how much it hurt, Sanzo kept reaching and fighting. After all, losing Koume after all this would hurt far more and longer than any scratch of scar he'd receive. His fingers brushed the handle of the smith and Wesson, and the demons closed in on Koume, cackling loudly.

Got to get it! I need to reach! For Koume… The demon atop him pulled his arms back, hoping to make a final attack, and Sanzo took those two-seconds to reach, take his gun, and shoot the demon between the eyes. It screamed horrifically, vaporizing instantly. After catching his breath a moment, Sanzo's eyes snapped back open and he sat up, looking to his left. …Koume was gone. The falling snow covered the tracks the demons had left, and the woods were dead silent.

Sanzo had only once ever felt this feeling… the feeling of his heart slowly cracking and then shattering to tiny pieces. He sat there in the snow, eyes wide and tears streaming down his face for what seemed like forever, trying to put it what had happened together. Koume was gone, taken, and probably… Using the breath he didn't know he'd been holding, Sanzo hit the ground hard, screaming.

"Koume!!!"

The pained voice echoed over the land, and even reached the ears of the others as they tried to track him and Koume down. The way it had been yelled made the group's hearts fall, and their pace quickened to where they had heard it. Sanzo's head was down. There was no way he could possibly explain this to Hakkai- he couldn't even fathom it, himself! And yet… just as hope was leaving him, he heard shouts. They weren't yells of his friends, but of demons. Not knowing what else to do, and trying to hold onto faith, Sanzo stumbled to his feet and followed the sounds of death further into the woods. He managed to reach a small clearing and looked out to see a surprising sight.

Dokugakuji was there, fighting off his own kind as if it was the most natural thing in the world, and cradled in his arm… was Koume. Sanzo's heart put itself back together and slowly got closer as the final demon fell. Dokugakuji sighed and let his weapon fall to his side as he looked down at the weak bundle.

"You're still such a handful, you know that…?"

Before Sanzo got close enough to be noticed, Kougaiji and Yaone appeared out of the sky, having leapt off their flying dragons and landed nearby. Sanzo couldn't help but feel comtempt for them, watching as Kougaiji ran to them and immediately started petting Koume, a worried look on his face. He knew something.

"Dokugakuji, is she-"

"I don't know… it looks like it'll be close…" He nodded, and his subordinate handed the child over, she looked so small anf rail in his arms, like she had as a child.

"Yaone, please hurry… she doesn't have much time." Yaone got a vial from her pocket hurriedly, walking closer.

"Right, Lord Kougai-"

**Click**

The girl froze as she felt the barrel of the smith and Wesson being pressed to the back of her head. Kougaiji glared up at Sanzo, and the rest of the group as they materialized from the woods behind him.

"A little late, aren't you?"

"Yeah, well we have you to thank for that. Now give Koume back. NOW." Kougaiji retuned the look in full, not budging.

"I can't do that, monk. Not yet."

"That wasn't a request. Do it now, or your apothecary is going to pay the price." Yaone looked frightened, which bothered Kougaiji and Dokugakuji both, but still, he kept Koume firmly.

"You don't know what's going on here, so back off, priest." Sanzo tugged on the trigger a little, emphasizing his seriousness, and that's when Kougaiji rosehis voice.

"If you don't let us do this she'll die!"

Those words obviously struck the group greatly. Hakkai felt that his heart would stop, and Sanzo's eyes widened a great deal. After a while, he let his chapped lips and spoke, softly.

"What…did you do to her?"

"It wasn't us… but if you'll just back off, we might be able to save her." A pause and nothing happened.

"Lower your gun, Sanzo…"

"How can we trust you?"

"Because…" he replied, looking down. He looked like a worried and caring father.

"…Because I don't want her to die, either."

Sanzo wasn't sure what it was, the look in his enemy's eyes, or the soft, desperate tone of his voice that made him lower his gun, but it happened, and as soon as she was out of harm's way, Yaone brought the vial to Kougaiji who carefully poured it into the child's mouth. the sight of another unidentified liquid being given to her startled and worried Goku, but the way Dokugakuji looked at Gojyo was comforting, and he held the child back. Once the vial had been drained, he petted her hair softly. Sanzo grunted his dissatisfaction, which Kougaiji actually smiled at, and he stepped forward.

"There. Good as new…"

Sanzo took her from him, carrying her close until Hakkai got close, then handed her off to him, aiming his gun once more. Kougaiji rolled his eyes.

"What, not even a thanks?"

"It was probably your side's doing, anyway. I see no need to thank you for taking care of your follower's mistake."

"Yeah… I guess you wouldn't." But still… Hakkai looked up, already starting to feel Koume's temperature lower.

"Thank you. Kougaiji…"

Kougaiji nodded silently and started to turn, but Gojyo had something to say.

"Hey, wait!"

"Mm?"

"Just… why? Why'd you help?"

"Yeah!" Goku chimed in. "You're the ones who keep reminding us that we're enemies!" Kougaiji didn't want to admit out loud what he really felt: a father's protectiveness, perhaps, having been the one to raise her, and instead, he offered the second reason.

"Because I need her alive. So that one day… I'll take her back from you." And with that, he left.

The inn wasn't too badly damaged by the time they returned, and they could relax. Hakkai lay Koume down in her bed, her duffle bag sitting in the corner, and moved her hair out of her eyes.

"He's recovering… it looks like she'll get better after all…!"

Goku cheered out loud, and Gojyo shrugged, as if he wasn't excited.

"I kenw she would be!"

"Yeah, right, you were complaining and worrying the whole trip out there to find them!" Goku teased. This started up one of their oh-so-typical arguments, which ended in the cameo of Sanzo's infamous paper fan.

"Take it outside!!" With that, he and Hakkai pushed the two out of the room to talk in the hall, none of them noticing the one remaining demon hiding in the closet.

"Phew! I'm glad that's over!"

"Yeah, no kidding! I need a nap!"

"Bakas. It's not over yet."

"Eh?" Everyone looked at Sazo.

"She's still an infant, remember?"

"Oh…" the group sighed in unison.

"She is, isn't she?"

"Hmm… I wonder why Kougaiji didn't return her to normal! I mean, he got rid of her cold, but…."

"You bakasaru, that wasn't a stupid cold!"

"Hey, don't call me that, Gokiburi!" And the two started bickering again and wrestling. Hakkai tried to calm them down and Sanzo wanted to smack them, but everything went silent as they heard shuffling from inside the room. All eyes stayed on the door a moment before a loud noise and a demon's yell rang out. All four of them reached for the door at once, fumbling madly to open it, but instead, they managed to knock the door clear in. what they saw, though, wasn't nearly what they expected. A demon was, indeed in there…

…impaled on the end of one of Koume's blades. And there she knelt, covered slightly in the demon's blood, fully grown and dressed. On his way back to Hotou castle, Kougaiji smiled. He knew things would be just fine, after giving Koume the antidote. Silence reigned for a while as the demon fell back and died. Koume brushed the hair out of her eyes and rose back up before offering a smile to the shocked group.

"Hey… Did you miss me?"


End file.
